BYU Wins Second Game in Slugfest

In what was probably the most physical game of the season for BYU there defense played its best all season. In what turned out to be a defensive grudge match it looked like BYU was going to go up early, with what appeared to be a safety on an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone on a bad long snap. The referees ended up picking up the flag but BYU still had the ball deep in SLCC territory. It appeared the Cougars had scored a touchdown on this play.

The referees once again took points off the bored calling a hold against BYU. SLCC's defense tighten and kept the Cougs out of the end zone.

 

From this time on it proved tough sledding for either offense as both defenses brought their A-game this Saturday. Eventually BYU was able to get past the stingy Bruin defense to take a 7-0 lead. 

 

With the game 7-0 fight at the half BYU went to work to capture another score but failed on the extra point attempt to go 13-0.

SLCC would no go down with out a fight and managed to score and make the game 13-6.

The game remained physical with BYU making big stops when they needed to, and the Bruins refusing to let the lead to get any bigger. BYU made the stops when they needed to and were able to run out the clock.

BYU finished the regular season with a 2-3 record and will get a rematch of the opening game with the Utah Warriors this upcoming Saturday. The Bruins fell to 3-2 but will be the number 3 seed in the playoffs and take on the Spartans.

Spanish Fork Takes Care of Business in Payson

The Payson Lions played host to the Spanish Fork Dons this past Thursday night. The Lions looked to keep it close and pull off an upset, but the Dons proved to much for Payson.

Spanish Fork Started the scoring in the first quarter with a Braxton Argyle run to take a 7-0 lead. Payson responded on the following drive with a Devon Judd touchdown pass that knotted the game at 7.

Spanish Fork's offense went on a 19-point scoring binge in the second quarter. Argyle added another score while the Dons quarterback, Jason Money, tossed in the other two touchdowns.

Trailing 26-7 at the half the Lions were kicking off to the red hot Dons and needed a break to keep things close. They got the break when the Spanish Fork return man bobbled and fumbled the kick and gave the ball deep in Don territory. Payson was able to capitalize on the short field and punched the ball in and made it a ball game at 26-14.

In the end though the Dons proved to be too much for the Lions as Money completed two more touchdown passes and Colton Olsen returned an interception for another score making the final score 45-14.

Honorable Mention for player(s) of the game: Braxton Argyle, RB, Spanish Fork

Argyle had a great game. He ran 24 times for 118 yards according to The Deseret News and ran for two scores. He kept the Lions off the field and his defense well rested. He made a strong case for player of the game, but that honor goes to another Don.

Spanish Fork's Defense

The Don defense was simply dominating. They stuffed the run all night and were in the quarterbacks face nearly every drop back. If it weren't for a fumble deep on their side on a kickoff this game would have been 45-7. They only gave up one big touchdown pass and just had their way in general.

Play of the Game: I have a hard time picking one play that had the greatest influence on the game in such a one sided affair. If I had to pick the most exciting play I would go with Olsen's pick six but the game was all but decided by that point. I will have to say the drive after Payson made the game 26-14. Spanish Fork showed it would not fall asleep and let the game go when they responded with a score of their own.

Player of the Game: Jason Money, QB, Spanish Fork

Money's passing was the Ying to Argyles running Yang. He was 11/22 for over 200 yards and 4 touchdowns. If BYU could get that kind of production out of its quarterbacks they would be unbeaten. He also had a long run for a score that was called back on a holding penalty. Really player of the game honors could have gone to any of the mentioned individuals but I will give it to the designated team leader in the QB. He played big in a big game that gets them two home games in the playoffs if they win the first game.


Highlights: So I can't get the video to load here but if you click the link you will see the video compilation I made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giZ-wY6vBx8&feature=g-all-u

Random Thoughts: I learned how to make a highlight video hopefully that makes it easier then watching a bunch of individual clips.... Payson has a fantastic special teams coach. They had two returns for touchdowns against JUAB a few weeks ago and they had a couple of long returns against the Dons as well showing me that it just wasn't bad play by JUAB.... It was interesting to watch Spanish Fork do with ease what Payson had a hard time doing a few weeks ago. Spanish Fork closed the game out and didn't let the Lions climb out of holes. Payson let JUAB back into the game three different times after being up 20 or more points a few weeks ago and barely survived the comeback attempt. That is one of the reasons Spanish Fork is a number one seed in the playoffs and Payson is not.... So I am going to follow Spanish Fork through the playoffs instead of bouncing around from week to week. This week they host the Pine View Panthers out of St. George.... Thanks for reading and please subscribe.

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Hey faithful reader. Thank you for your time and I truly appreciate that you choose to read my blog about amateur football. I would like the small favor of subscribing to the blog. I understand there has been some confusion on how to do this, so let me clarify. I believe I have simplified it. All you have to do is click on "All Posts" which should show up above and to the left of the article or right above the about me section. I also have a YouTube page which features all the videos from the games I attend and play in. I also have a Facebook group that has more pictures from the same games and a few extras. Please, please, please subscribe to the blog. If you subscribe to the YouTube page or join the Facebook group I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for reading and remember get off the bench and play.

Orem's no huddle takes toll on Maple Mountain

This post is long overdue and I apologize. This past Wednesday night I went to the Maple Mountain vs. Orem Tiger game at Orem High School. Maple Mountain rolled into the stadium with a one loss record and a heart bounding victory over Timpanogos the previous week. Orem had three losses coming in the contest but was looking to honor their senior class on their last home game of the regular season.

The Tigers did strike first on a 25-yard score to take an early 6-0 lead. The score was the beginning of a great night for Orem quarterback Taylor Camp; it was the first of three touchdowns through the air on the night.

Maple Mountain showed why they had such a great record coming into the ball game by responding on the ensuing drive and converting their PAT to take a 7-6 lead.

That's when the winds turned both figuratively and literally. As the winds began to bluster Orem's offense began to take control of the game using the no huddle to keep the Eagles off balance and giving their defense a plenty of rest. Part way through the quarter the Tigers pounded the ball in from a yard out to regain the lead 12-7.

This was the first of three straight scores for the Tigers to close out the first half with a 25-7 lead.

In the third quarter both defenses took care of business and shut there opponents out in the quarter.

The fourth quarter was another story as the offenses found there grooves with Maple Mountain striking first on a touchdown pass to make the score 25-13.

Orem responded quickly with a 35-yard touchdown pass to go up 32-13. K.J. Hall, the fearless quarterback of Maple Mountain, refused to roll over and broke a 45-yard touchdown run to make it a 32-19 game.

When Orem got the ball back they decided to slow things down a bit and chew clock. The strategy was working. The Eagle defesne had been worn down for three quarters with the relentless no-huddle offense of the Tigers. Orem was looking to put the game out of reach when this play happened.

 Maple Mountain had the ball and offense that had put two scores on the board during the quarter. However the comeback was not to be as the turnover bug that had hasseled them through out the game struck again in a very big way.

That pick six salted away the game for Orem and made the score 39-19 which held until the final gun sounded.


Honorable Mention for Player of the Game: Tyler Valdez, WR, Orem. Tyler lead the way for a great performance from the Tiger wide outs. He gets the nod for two long touchdown catches.

Play of the Game: Isaiah Fiso's interception return for a touchdown to me was the play of the game. Orem had managed to keep Maple Mountain down but had failed to put them out. This came at a key moment too. The Tigers had driven down the field and coughed up the ball to the Eagles in the end zone giving them a chance to really get back in the ball game. That is when Isaiah made the play of the game to seal the win for the home team.

Player of the Game: Taylor Camp, QB, Orem.

Taylor simply had a great game. Three scores through the air and added a fourth on the ground. He kept the Tigers high speed offense humming for most of the game; which kept the ever dangerous K.J. Hall on the sideline. I'm impressed by him in how well he ran the no huddle there are pro quarterbacks who struggle with it (Tony Romo). Great job by young Mr. Camp helping his team pick up a big win.

Random Thoughts: Why in the world did Orem's coach go for two on his first three touchdowns? I thought that maybe his kicker was horrible but he was good on the kick off and then he barely missed a long (by high school standards) field goal. I think the only reason he missed it was the strong winds that kicked up in the second pushed the kick wide. He than made all three PAT's after that.You may not think three points matters but coming back from 25-7 is easier than 28-7. Three TD's get you a lead instead of a tie. Lucky for Orem it did not matter in the end. Maybe the kid was being punished but it looked to me to be something that could cost them in the playoffs against a superior team.... I do think Orem is the better team, but I don't think they are 20 points better. Maple Mountain shot itself in the foot on more then one occasion with penalties and turnovers. You can't give this good of an offense more chances and shorter fields to work with.... Now that I picked on Orem's coach how about I dish on Maple Mountain's head man. Orem has been running the no huddle all year long. This wasn't an early season game, it was the ninth contest of the year. His defense looked unprepared and poorly conditioned. That is forgivable, to a degree, early in the year but this late you should be in shape and you know what your opponent is going to do. Get ready for it.... That being said I can't help but wonder if the Eagles were suffering a hangover of sorts after the nail biting win the previous week.... This week I will be watching the Spanish Fork Dons take on the Payson Lions to close out the regular season.

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Hail Mary Saves UVU From Collapse

This past Saturday marked the first meeting of BYU and UVU football teams. Unfortunately it wasn't an NCAA match up but the UTFL will have to do for now.

UVU is a perennial power in the UTFL and this is the first Season for the BYU team. This difference showed in the first half as turnovers and overly aggressive play hurt the Cougars early and often. Starting off with this pick six for UVU.

BYU's defense struggled to contain UVU's outside running game and the Cougar offense could not find its groove in the first half.

UVU step offed the field with an 18-0 halftime lead, but they failed on all of their extra point attempts. BYU needed to make a change and it did switching the defense from a 2-4 to a 3-3. The increased presence on the line allowed the linebackers to roam more freely and make plays to stop what had seemed to be an unstopple UVU offense.

The Cougar offense also stepped up at this time relying more on the running game with QB draws and passes over the middle instead of leaning heavily on deep outside throws.

.BYU's offense looked as though it had found its footing early in the second half when they drove down the field but were stopped short of the end zone. Desperately needing a turnover the defense made it happen and gave the ball back to the now clicking offense.

BYU broke into the score colom with a little trickeration. The Cougars moved there center over to the tight end; the defense was looking for a run to that side. Instead he ran a route into the end zone and caught the ball uncontested for a touchdown. UVU made good on their two point attempt and the game was now 18-8

BYU regained possession as the defense was now playing very good football. The Cougs drove down the field but were stopped inside the two yard line by the aggressive Wolverine defense. The defense once again needed make a play. They came through with a safety making the game 18-10. The game now only a one score difference. Missing on the point after attempts looked to be haunting UVU.

BYU once again made it down the field and scored on this play.

 

The Cougars once again converted on the two point attempt and the game was all knotted up at 18. 

With under two minutes left to play the Wolverines were on there heels after allowing 18 unanswered points and went to the air to try to move quickly down the field. That is when apparent disaster struck when a Cougar player appeared to pick off a UVU pass.

As you can see the referee ruled that he had landed out of bounds and gave UVU a fresh life after the near miss. They moved the ball closer down the field and were down to one play left when they heaved up a prayer.

Touchdown was the call and UVU escaped with a 24-18 win and a still perfect record at 4-0. The Cougars fell to 1-3 on the year with the defeat being the second time this season they lost on the last play of the game.

The UTFL has this week off but will return to play on Saturday October 20th. UVU plays defending champions Stealth at 10 am and BYU will take on SLCC at 11 am.

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Two Returns Too Much for JUAB

The Payson Lions came out with a roar on Friday night returning the opening kickoff for a score. They then intercepted JUAB and scored for the second time on a short field. It looked a route in the making when the Lions scored on this touchdown pass to go up 20-0 with less then ten minutes off the game clock.

This is when JUAB showed that it was a team of great character as it marched down the field and scored. They added a two point conversion to cut the lead to 20-8. The JUAB defense tightened up at this point but was still victimized by a long pass play that would set up the final scoring play of the first half.

Payson looked to add more points before the half but JUAB came up with an interception to keep the score 27-8 at the half.

A 19 point deficit is what faced the Wasps as they took the field in the second half. They continued to grind out tough yards on the ground when they hit pay dirt from 6 yards out.

They failed on their two point attempt, leaving the score at 27-14. That score didn't last long though because the Lions returned the ensuing Kickoff for another touchdown, recapturing a 20 point lead after the PAT.

When the 4th quarter rolled around it seemed as though Payson had the game put away 34-14 but the fireworks were just beginning.

Showing a great amount of guts and determination the Wasps drove down the field and scored on a long pass, making the score 34-20.

Payson responded with a score of its own to make it 41-20 ball game. So for the third time JUAB trailed by 20 points. There was not an ounce of quit in the Wasps though as they bullied down the field and punched it in from a yard out.

Trailing 41-27 the Wasps then recovered the onside kick and scored another touchdown and added a 2 point conversion.

Payson found itself in a dog fight, three times up by 20 points now only up 41-36. The Lions pulled it together and managed to score once again jumping ahead 47-36. The only problem is the left too much time on the clock for the never say die Wasps. (Sadly at this point the batteries in my camera had died.) JUAB pulled out all the stops and tried some trickeration. A double pass worked for another 4th quarter touchdown. They again succeeded on the two point attempt and the game was 47-44. With a little under 3 minutes remaining and all 3 timeouts JUAB kicked it deep depending on their defense to hold. It did. The Wasps got the ball with about 2 minutes left and drove into Lion territory. This is were the improbable come back was stopped when a Lions safety intercepted a pass allowing Payson to finally run out the clock. (I feel the corner back on the play got away with some serious holding, but alas my camera was dead no video proof.) Final score Payson 47, JUAB 44

Honorable mention for player of the game: The referees. I'm not saying they gave this game to one team or took from another but there were way too many flags in this game when there shouldn't have been and not enough when there should. I can recall at least 5 personal fouls called. 3 against JUAB in one drive that aided the Lions to a touchdown. And 2 against the Lions in one drive which helped the Wasps to a score. Defensive holding and illegal contact were never called against Payson and they took advantage of this through out roughing up JUAB receivers. Meanwhile JUAB offensive lineman were pretty grabby but few calls were made. This game was incredible to watch but would have been even better with a better set of refs.

Play of the Game: Either Payson kick return for a touchdown. Given how well the Wasps defense played when Payson was forced to travel the entire distance of the field and that the game was decided by 3 points; it had to be these plays. You take one of them away you could safely assume JUAB would have been able to complete the comeback when they scored 30 fourth quarter points. I would lean toward the first as I feel the Lions rode that momentum to the quick 20 point lead which they barely held on to.

Player of the game: Devan Judd, QB, Payson Lions.

The kid threw 4 touchdown passes. I don't know what else to say really. He made plays when they really needed them allowing his team to hold on for a much needed win.

Random thoughts: I know most of the kids wearing pink gear are doing it because there favorite pro does, but at least we know some of that money is going to a great cause.... I liked how much music Payson played over the loud speakers at the game, but they need a greater variety. One can only listen to Gangnam Style so many times.... Speaking of Gangnam Syle if I were Payson's coach I would ban it from games from now on. Several times his players broke out into the signature dance. I feel it lead to a loss of focus which may, or may not, have lead to a massive let down that almost cost them the game. If I were in his shoes no more dancing on the sideline no matter how many points we are winning by.... With that being said I am not the coach and it was freaking hilarious to watch these kids dance on the sideline so here are some videos for your viewing enjoyment.

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BYU Picks Up First Win

Something clicked for the Cougars in week 3 of the season. They passed and ran the ball at will; moving with ease against the Falcons defense. Scoring on the only time they had the ball in the first half. The defense also played well with a bend but don't brake mentality shutting out the opposition in the first half.

The second half started out much the same as the first with Ryan Flake throwing his second touchdown pass of the game and putting the Cougars out front 12-0. The Falcons didn't quit though as they finally broke through part way into the second half cutting the lead in half 12-6. The Cougar offense had been bit by the turnover bug having two passes picked off and the defense was tiring. The Falcons were looking to tie they game up with the ball deep in Cougar territory and just under two minutes left. That is when the turnover bug struck the Falcons when BYU intercepted a pass in the end zone. The Falcons were left with no timeouts and the Cougars ran out the clock successfully to seal their first win of the season.

This week BYU will meet UVU for the first time ever on the football field. The game will start at 10 am at Lakeridge Jr High in Orem, UT come check it out.

Red Devils Pick Up First Win. Spoiling Homecoming Festivities.

Finally got to see a good game again after a few stinkers in a row. We traveled down the road to see Salem Hills host its homecoming game against the Springville Red Devils. I was shocked to learn that Springville had yet to win a game going into this contest. I had seen them play twice before, against Spanish Fork and Maple Mountain, in which they lost in close fashion. Payton Thorpe, the Springville QB, had really impressed me in those games and I thought they would have captured a victory by this point in the season. Salem Hills, on the other hand, had managed to secure a couple of victories. So this game looked to be a pretty good match up. I was not disappointed.

I don't know if Salem Hills were rocking alternate jerseys or if those are there normal digs but I loved the powder blue look they sported.

The reason why I ask if they are alternate is that they look nothing like the ones featured in the team photos in the program.

Back on track here the Sky Hawks would strike first part way through the first quarter on this pass play.

Nice little plays but guys if your gonna chest bump make sure you land on you feet afterward.

It looked like it might be another rough night for the Red Devil faithful but the offense responed in the second quarter with a bruising run play into the end zone to tie the game up.

After that score the defenses would tighten up for the rest of the first half and much of the third quarter.

 

Late in the third quarter the Red Devils finally broke through on this amazing pass and catch in the corner of the end zone to take a lead they would never relinquish.

The Red Devils defense pinned its ears back at this point and did not let the Sky Hawks score again and the offense added an insurance touchdown in the 4th to bring the final score to 21-7. Allowing Springville to get its first win of the season and put a damper on the Salem Hills homecoming celebration.

Honorable Mention for Player(s) of the Game: The Springville defense was lights out in this ball game. They allowed the one touchdown in the first quarter and then shut out the Sky Hawks the rest of the way. They provided constant pressure and stuffed the run consistently. Turning this game into a field position battle and then and outright up hill climb for the Sky Hawks.

Play of the Game: Is the above touchdown catch. The game had become a defensive slug fest at this point with plenty of 3 and outs and punts galore. When Springville finally broke through on this play they forced Salem Hills to have to do more than play field position ball and they were not up to the task. The type of catch made also woke up the entire Red Devil squad and put momentum squarely on their side.

Player of the Game: Payton Thorpe, QB, Springville.

 This young man has impressed me with his play and leadership in all three games I have seen him play in. He kept his team executing even when down and carried the load in the air and on the ground. I respect him and his coaches for not having folded after falling behind especially with a win less record going in. He had two touchdown passes on the game as well witch accounted for two thirds of the scoring.

Random Thoughts: Is homecoming not that big of a deal out here in Utah? Back home their are not just royalty chosen but each class makes a float and the town has a parade. Does anyone out here do that?... Still no play clock at a field I have been to.... We now have a Facebook page come check it out. It is where I will post all of the pictures I take at the games. All of the videos will be posted on YouTube as well.

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